Jane Fonda reveals Katherine Hepburn Oscar rivalry

Jane Fonda has revealed how competitive Katherine Hepburn was with her over their Oscars.

The duo starred together in On Golden Pond in 1981 alongside Fonda’s father Henry, a role that netted Hepburn her third Academy Award.

She told The Graham Norton Show: “Katherine was very prickly and told me outright that she didn’t like me much.

Jane Fonda during filming of the Graham Norton Show (Isabel Infantes/PA)

“I did the film for him (Fonda) because he was dying but she taught me the most and I gained her respect for doing my own stunt.

“But then when I rang to congratulate her on receiving an Oscar for the film she said, ‘You’ll never catch me now.’

“She had won three Oscars and I had won two – she was so competitive.”

Fonda also reflected on her 1968 film Barbarella, directed by her ex-husband Roger Vadim, joking: “I’ve burned all the films my husband made!

Fonda in 1966 (PA)

“He was directing the movie, our marriage was falling apart and it was not an easy movie to make.

“Years later when I had a sense of humour again, which took a while, I kind of enjoyed it. It was quite campy and fun.”

The actress and activist will soon be turning 80, saying, “I never thought I would live this long, much less be working at my age. It’s amazing,” and has reunited with Robert Redford for a new Netflix film, 50 years after they starred in Barefoot In The Park.

She described that film and new project Our Souls At Night as “bookends to our careers,” but said she has no plans to retire like Redford claims he will.

She told the show: “I’m not stopping,” but jokingly added: “He says he is and he should because he is too old!”